heroin addiction

It’s no secret that there’s a heroin epidemic raging across the US. Addiction statistics are off the charts when it comes to heroin use, and it’s affecting practically every demographic there is. Those most at risk? Quite often it’s those who have suffered an injury who run the greatest possibility of becoming someone who’s hooked on heroin.

How Can Painkillers Prescribed for an Injury Lead to Heroin Use?

It all stem from the prescription pain medication prescribed after someone’s suffered an injury. This means that many who get hurt (from teen athletes injured in sports to someone who slipped and broke their ankle) are given painkillers to take until their symptoms improve. The thing is, most of these prescription pain pills hold high potential for addiction–and this addiction is what often leads to heroin use.

Heroin offers similar effects to prescription meds. It feeds addiction almost exactly the same way as painkillers do, and does so at a fraction of the cost. Painkillers can be expensive (and difficult to attain) on the black market, and heroin’s something that’s cheap. Not only that, but it’s readily available pretty much everywhere.

So, once the addiction sets in, many search for more pain medications. After being addicted to pain medication addicts seek a cheaper solution, which often leads to heroin use.

Prescription Medication Causes Dependency

Prescription painkillers are also known as opioids. They work by reducing the amount of pain signals that reach the brain while influencing certain areas in the brain that control emotion. And while they certainly do provide pain relief (and sometimes feeling of euphoria), they are also causing the biggest opioid epidemic we have ever experienced.

The increasing number of deaths from opioid addiction has reached a new high. The most commonly prescribed painkillers (oxycodone and hydrocodone) happen to be the ones involved in more deaths than any other opioid there is.

Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone, commonly known as Vicodin, is the most prescribed painkiller in the US. It’s also shown to be connected to more drug abuse than any other opioid there is. It’s a Schedule Class II Substance, and shows high potential for addiction. Withdrawal symptoms of hydrocodone include:

Pain

Restlessness

Insomnia/Difficulty Sleeping

Decreased Appetite

Cramping

Diarrhea

Nausea

Vomiting

Oxycodone

Oxycodone is another prescription opioid known as Percocet or OxyContin. This commonly prescribed painkiller is another that shows great potential for abuse. When dependent upon oxycodone, withdrawal symptoms include:

Depression

Anxiety

Coughing

Runny Nose

Watery Eyes

Muscle Aches

Sweating

Nausea

Vomiting

Increased Heart Rate

People are prescribed these pills because they’re hurt, and the next thing they know they’re fully dependent on them. Don’t take them and feel like you’re dying. Continue taking them and feel like your normal. It’s no wonder that opioid addiction has tripled over the last ten years and overdose rates are out of control.

In 2014, more than 6 out of 10 drug overdoses were from opioids (prescription painkillers and heroin). Prescription opioids saw the highest number of deaths (5,550) that same year, which was twice as many as the year before.

Prescriptions of opioids have increased tenfold since 1990. Consequently, during this time we’ve also seen an increase in the number of people addicted to prescription pills. Along with this comes a dramatic rise in the number of heroin addicts.

From Injury to Addiction

For those that suffer an injury, prescription painkillers are often necessary. From the football player who suffered one too many concussions to the skier that broke their leg on the slopes, painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone are prescribed every single day. And for some, once the injury has healed, they find the desire to continue taking their painkillers somewhat overwhelming.

When someone continually takes opioids over a period of time (like someone with an injury would do), the brain begins to change. It begins to only feel “normal” when opioids are present and functions irregularly when they’re not. Once someone’s been on painkillers for a while, there often becomes a need to take more to feel this “desired” effect. Because of the changes that have taken place in the brain, dependency is something that becomes common.

It’s addiction, and it’s happening to an alarming number of people prescribed pills for pain. What’s caused by something that was supposed to benefit the body often ends up destroying it instead. When someone realizes they’re addicted to pills and can get heroin cheaper they are likely to move to heroin addiction.

The connection between injuries and addiction is real. Understanding this not only helps people better understand how some addiction starts, but can prevent someone from becoming addicted after they’ve suffered an injury and are prescribed medication. If you or a loved one are addicted to prescription pills or heroin contact Crossroads Ibogaine for more information on how ibogaine treatment can be effective for treating your addiction.

Heroin use has truly become the worst drug problem the nation has ever seen. Where once methamphetamine and cocaine reigned, heroin has become the new drug of choice…and it’s bringing an entirely new face to the stereotype of addiction. You see, with heroin use there is no typical demographic. It’s affecting everyone from the inner city to the upper class and is one of the biggest drug epidemics ever known.

As one of the most addictive drugs known to man, heroin use is sweeping the nation unlike any drug ever before. Many speculate the rise in heroin use is closely connected to the rise in the number of prescription opioids that are widely prescribed these days. Opioids are extremely addictive, so much so that there are some 2 million people in the US alone that suffer from dependency to these prescription pills.

Pills however, tend to be expensive. Especially when you’re purchasing them on the black market to feed your dependency. Here is where heroin steps in. Many people find that not only is heroin much cheaper and easier to attain than prescription opioids, but makes them feel a euphoria they’ve never experienced before. Someone can become hooked on heroin the very first time they try it. And, unfortunately, it’s a drug that doesn’t let you give it up so easily.

Symptoms of Heroin Use and Addiction

No matter how a person comes to depend on heroin, the consequences of this addiction are terrible. Being addicted to heroin (or watching a loved one suffer from heroin addiction) can be a nightmare. Heroin is abused because of the elated feelings it offers. The feelings heroin invokes include:

A “rush” of some of the most pleasurable feelings ever experienced

Increased confidence and self-worth

A calm, warm feeling that eludes all feelings of anxiety or stress

Heightened feelings of wellbeing

There’s definitely a reason people become so easily addicted to heroin. It feels good….and is awful to come off of. Heroin withdrawal is literally one of the hardest hitting of all drug come downs that exists. People coming off their heroin high tend to experience the following symptoms:

Muscle pain

Nausea

Vomiting

Constipation

Stomach cramps

Sweats

Chills

Shakes

Restlessness

Irritability

Hopelessness

Detachment

Insomnia

Nervousness

Paranoia

Hallucinations

Delusions

Extreme anxiety

Depression

These symptoms only scratch the surface. If you’ve ever been addicted to heroin or know someone that has, you know just how encompassing the nightmare of heroin withdrawal can be.

Finding the Right Treatment for Heroin Addiction

It’s vital for heroin addicts to find treatment that works. It’s almost impossible to quit heroin on one’s own, and there are countless heroin addicts that have been in and out of rehab numerous times. With overdose rates higher than they’ve ever been, there’s never been a greater need for people to find not only the help they need, but a treatment that is going to work for them.

Ibogaine treatment has shown to be a very promising treatment for heroin addicts. As more and more people fall victim to heroin addiction, is being recognized as a viable option for those looking for help. Working unlike any other addiction treatment available, Ibogaine helps to reset the brain back to its pre-addicted state and help the addict work through the psychological components of their addiction.

How Ibogaine Treatment Works

Ibogaine works in three separate segments. Treatment is usually administered when withdrawal symptoms are at their worst and begins a few short hours afterwards. The first stage of Ibogaine is where the physical aspect of dependency is addressed. Ibogaine literally changes the brain’s chemistry and “resets” neurotransmitters damaged from drug abuse back to their pre-addicted state. No other addiction treatment available has shown to relieve heroin addicts of physical withdrawal the way Ibogaine does.

In the second stage of treatment with Ibogaine the patient experiences moderate to intense visual hallucinations. This part of treatment has been likened to a dream, where things make complete sense without making any sense at all. During this time the addict will be guided by Ibogaine to uncover particular memories and traumas that they have subconsciously blocked from their memory. The things that have happened in someone’s past are usually directly related to their current addiction. When we remember addiction most often stems from pain, it’s easier to see how these buried memories and past sufferings could have a lot to do with one’s present state of mind.

When the second part of Ibogaine ends, the third is already beginning and urging the patient to work through the memories that were uncovered. It is here that true, fundamental healing can take place. Accepting the past and forgiving others for the pain that’s been caused (either directly or indirectly) is something Ibogaine is known to urge patients to do. And perhaps most importantly, Ibogaine helps one forgive themselves.

Heroin addiction has a tendency to make people do things they would never do, and shame, guilt, and self-loathing are all very common traits among heroin addicts. Ibogaine helps one process and work through these emotions, truly resetting the way one thinks and perceives the world around them.

There are many former heroin addicts that have found promise of a better life through Ibogaine. This alternative treatment allows one to not only see the past, but release the negative emotions and feelings associated with it. People that have successfully taken Ibogaine for heroin addiction have reported not only freedom from their addiction, but new hope for a successful future and second chance at life.

It’s no secret that heroin use is on the rise. In case you haven’t heard, heroin has become the new drug of choice. And while alcohol, meth, and cocaine abuse haven’t gone away, heroin addiction now surpasses every other addiction there is.

Just how much has heroin use exploded in the past decade or so? A lot. And while even a little is too much, between 2002 and 2013 heroin-related overdose deaths increased 286 percent. In 2013, nearly 500,000 people admitted to using heroin in the past year. That’s almost a half a million people using heroin, which must account for the approximately 30 that die every single day from its use.

Who is Using Heroin?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), heroin use is spread amongst several different demographics and is not constitute of one particular “kind” of person. In fact, these days heroin use is most widespread throughout white suburban neighborhoods than any other location in the country.

Where before heroin use was primarily found amongst minorities in inner-city neighborhoods, it’s now found to be mainly used by whites who live outside large urban areas. But it doesn’t stop there, heroin is being used by everyone—white, black, male, female, young, and old, no one is immune.

The use of heroin has leaked into many different parts of society. The people most prone to heroin addiction are white males between the ages of 18 and 25 who make less than $20,000 a year. The largest increase in users was actually found in groups of people that aren’t typically exposed to heroin—think educated men and women in higher income brackets.

There is no longer a gap between classes when it comes to heroin use. Heroin doesn’t care if you’re a rich in a nice suburban neighborhood or a middle-class businessman in the city. Everyone is using it and it’s destroying countless lives across the country.

Why Such Widespread Use?

The rise of heroin use and addiction can be attributed to the wide distribution of prescription opioids that has been happening since the early 2000s. In 1991 there were 71 million prescriptions written for opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone products. In 2012 this number had jumped to 259 million, or enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills. And these pills are some of the most addictive “legal” substances known to man.

So, while this is an alarming number of prescriptions, what exactly do prescription opioids have to do with heroin addiction? Basically, prescription opioids and heroin provide similar effects. And because opioid use had gotten so out of control (overdose deaths from prescription opioids have more than tripled in the last 20 years), there have been tighter restrictions on prescription medications. Not only have opioids become more expensive, but they’re manufactured so they’re more difficult to crush and snort. Because this is the most effective way to get the desired effects from people addicted to opioids, it’s become more and more difficult for them to continue using them as they have in the past.

In steps heroin. Not only is heroin cheaper and easier to attain than prescription opioids these days, but it also takes a lot less to achieve the desired sense of euphoria people that abuse pills are seeking. Heroin has taken over where prescription pills have failed. And as more and more people continue to use heroin every single day, more and more are losing their lives to dangerous dance they’re intimately engaged in with heroin.

Seeking Treatment for Heroin Addiction

There’s got to be an answer. Families are being torn apart and lives are unraveling faster from this drug epidemic than anyone’s ever seen. The exasperation found when seeking treatments that continue to end in relapse is frustrating to families and individuals who feel they’ve lost control and hope for ever experiencing a normal life again.

If you’ve been affected by heroin you know exactly what we mean. There are alternatives, and the hope you’re seeking is out there. If one treatment hasn’t worked it’s vital to try another until you find one that does.

Ibogaine is one such alternative and is showing unprecedented results when it comes to helping those with heroin addiction.

Rapid Relief from Physical and Psychological Withdrawal

One of the most difficult things about heroin is the intense physical withdrawal symptoms that occur when someone tries to quit. These painful and seemingly unbearable symptoms are a big reason why many stay addicted to this dangerous substance. Ibogaine however, resets the brain and vanquishes physical cravings for heroin within the first six hours after it’s administered.

When the body is no longer physically needs heroin, it’s much easier to work through the psychological issues associated with addiction. And this is precisely what Ibogaine guides patients to do. Not only does Ibogaine offset physical symptoms of heroin addiction, but it gets to the root of the psychological reasons behind dependency and encourages addicts to let go of the deep seeded pain and trauma that has caused their addiction in the first place.

Crossroads Ibogaine Treatment Center is located on the tropical Island of Nassau in the Bahamas. We make traveling to the Crossroads Ibogaine Treatment Center as easy and stress-free as possible; please don’t hesitate to ask our admissions specialists for help with your travel arrangements.

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